I’m proud to say that I was the first to openly discuss salary expectations here on my blog starting in the fall of 2007. Now this emerging role is one of the fastest growing in the job market. Despite the recession, companies realize the advantages of adding this role and are seeking qualified candidates.

And on the flip side, many that have become statistics due to the economy are evaluating their skill set and reinventing themselves. Rachel, an unemployed journalist shared her story of how she creatively found employment in this field.

I have both employers and job seekers asking me about salary expectations. This is my advice. It’s based on discussions with recent hires, companies seeking, and a Salary Survey done last year.

The job market at present favors those seeking positions.

Employers seeking a community manager/social media specialist can approach this two ways:

entry level with specific salary range – but be aware that it may:

prevent you from hiring someone with the experience & skills that will really benefit your organization

requires in-depth interviewing to ensure a good fit

the successful candidate will use the job to gain experience & then move on (taking their personality with them) – the nature of this role is to be the company’s voice, so it will affect your customers

professional position with responsibility for leadership

ask the applicants what their salary expectations are

this was a huge shock for me, but I truly felt like my professional skills were being recognized.

the advantage to this is that you’ll get a much broader selection of applicants & together you can define the role (& fair compensation)

the successful candidate will tend to stay because they’re intrinsically motivated & in a professionally rewarding position

In either case, consider offering a remote option – because:

the position is project oriented & lends itself to working remotely (I wouldn’t get half as much done at the office)

applicants will be more qualified & you’ll find a better fit

salary is more flexible because cost of living varies widely (for ex: it costs 2.5 x more to live in San Fran than where I live in rural Minnesota) And I provide damn good services even though I don’t live in SF! (yes, there’s a story there)

This morning Leslie Carothers asked an interesting question on Twitter. (She’s a leading community builder in the home furnishings industry.) I couldn’t answer this in 140 char’s or less.

The answer to this question requires a few parts:

1. The position needs are going to be based on the company’s business requirements.

What is their strategy for online engagement?

How dependent is their success on interaction with their customers online?

Is their internal culture ready for an incredible shift? Talking with customers directly requires a whole new attitude.

2. Annual company sales don’t matter.

Many startups with online services & products KNOW they have to have this position to make them relevant & successful.

My prediction is that the larger the enterprise, the slower they will be to add it.

to assist with this I’m doing workshops at Community 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0

there’s a learning curve in understanding the role & strategically implementing it

Salaries for entry level online community managers range from $50 k to $ 85 k depending on location. Please don’t insult people that have acquired the skills and are ready to build your brand & provide for your customers directly. I have recommended to people to turn down job offers that require them to work onsite & yet can’t afford the cost of living there. The employer can compromise & try remote. That’s called contracting. It bothers me when employers try to take advantage of talented people with the job skills they’re seeking. And if you’re considering doing contracting work, remember that you need to request a higher rate because you’ll be responsible for your own FICA/Medicare, health insurance, retirement, etc. In my case I owed 49% in taxes before considering health insurance or retirement. So discuss the ramifications with your accountant before you spend it all

Salaries for experienced online community managers range from $60 k to over $100 k. I’m aware of one that works remotely with a salary of $120 k.

My last point was my first thought when I saw Leslie’s question. To be honest, working at a startup is far easier because the culture is oriented toward Web 2.0 and they’re far more likely to embrace transparency & authenticity. The silos don’t exist yet and the organization’s hierarchy is relatively flat. So, realistically, an online community manager starting in the enterprise deserves to be paid more because they’re going to have so many more challenges to overcome internally. It’s going to require so much more patience. They’re going to need executive sponsorship. Otherwise the position will not be effective and will fall short of it’s potential return.

All of those are reasons to hire a community manager with experience & respect it as a professional position.

Having an online community manager is an investment in the company’s future. It’s not just a step towards staying relevant in this challenging world, it’s a leap!

And yes, I’m passionate about this topic of compensation & community building as a whole. My readers/network provide me with views from both sides. As always your thoughts are welcome. Let’s discuss them!

I couldn’t agree with you more about the fact that those who do the job first will certainly have more to overcome. I can assure you that whomever ends up in the job I’ve carved, created, nurtured and built from the ground up once I decide to embrace a new opportunity, will have a sweet deal. Laying the groundwork is tough. But writing a handbook along the way makes you even more valuable.

Thanks for sharing your perspectives and the data. I also agree that this is a tough field to carve a path in especially with larger companies who may have seen the light to hire a CM but not yet actual get the full implications and benefit potential.

It definitely worries me when you see companies trying to pass by with a lower paid, junior staffer to start a community endeavor. Not that one needs (or could even have) decades of experience to do the job well but when a company is just starting to move into the community space strategy and some degree of authority are essential.

When someone is sent out to engage and build a community but has no actual access into the brand they’re representing there’s often failure as they can’t do the job they’re being tasked with. On the other hand when the community team includes or has direct access to a “big tilte” there’s an immediate opportunity to benefit as the right people get feedback and can actually respond.

so love this piece. It’s so TRUE. I can’t tell you how many positions that I have interviewed for that require a serious knowledge and ability to engage, supervise, manage and handle sites and forums– but some companies don’t get that the manner in which it is handled & the person that represents them reflects directly back on the company.
Hire a well-experienced person, pay them well– because they will end up building your visibility and traffic and make it worth every penny

I get asked questions like this regularly — our tech industry is large, but community management is still a very new role here. And of course people just want a specific salary number, which I can’t just give them. (Of course, rarely can they provide solid details on what they want the person in the role to do or accomplish, either.)

It’s such an “it depends” answer. How senior a role? Responsibilities? Reports? Etc… You also can’t really compare it, salary-wise, to most existing roles within a company, especially since soft skills and personality are among the most key components to a good community manager.

And of course there will always be a nebulous aspect of the role. Measuring relationship building and the like remains a bit sticky, but companies don’t like that.

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[...] Stan, I recommend you read this post by Connie Bensen, "Community Strategist." http://conniebensen.com/2009/03/…Even though the post is from March 2009, it contains robust info for employers seeking a community [...]

[...] to yourself, “hey, I could do that!” There’s a reason people recruit, hire, and pay experienced community managers and social media specialists to do these things – because these things are hard to do. Stop [...]